Rescuers pulled five bodies from the debris² on Sunday, adding to three found on Saturday.

 

Officials say there are still a number of people registered as missing, but search teams said they had not seen or heard any signs of survivors³.

 

The 54m deep landslide destroyed 30 houses near the town of Oso, about 90km north of Seattle. 

 

Rescue teams have only just been able to properly search the site. 

 

It was deemed too dangerous to access the worst-affected areas on Saturday.

 

 

An eyewitness⁴ told the Daily Herald⁵ that he was driving on the road and had to quickly brake to avoid the mudslide.

 

"I just saw the darkness coming across the road. Everything was gone in three seconds,'' Paulo Falcao told the newspaper.

 

Robin⁶ Youngblood, another witness, told the Seattle Times: "All of a sudden there was a wall of mud. Then it hit and we were rolling. The house was in sticks. We were buried under things, and we dug ourselves out."

 

Residents reported hearing cries from those trapped, but local fire chief Travis Hots said the dangerous conditions were hampering⁷ the rescue effort.

 

Search-and-rescue help came from across the state, including the Washington State Patrol and the Army Corps⁸ of Engineers.

 

The landslide cut off the city of Darrington and clogged⁹ the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, prompting fears of severe flooding downstream if the build-up of water behind the debris breaks through suddenly. 

 

The authorities say the landslide was caused by recent heavy rain.

 

More rain is expected in parts of Washington on Sunday, and some people have been advised to move to higher ground.

 

The area has had problems in the past with unstable¹⁰ land.

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